1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of messaging function in an electronic device and the electronic device thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for displaying messages in a chat window in an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electronic device such as a portable terminal has become a necessity of modern life. The electronic device is widely used across a wide variety of user demographics. Service providers and terminal manufacturers competitively develop products (or services) for differentiation from other companies.
For example, the electronic device has developed into a multimedia device, which can provide a phonebook, games, a Short Message Service (SMS), an electronic mail (e-mail) function, an alarm clock function, a Motion Picture Expert Group Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player, a schedule management function (e.g., a calendar function), a digital camera, a multimedia message, and a wireless Internet service, various associated services, and the like.
Among the above functions of the electronic device, the SMS function is frequently used by users due to the advantage of relatively low costs relative to a voice call.
In addition, recently, the electronic device has been designed to provide a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), which has a combination of the advantages associated with the SMS and the advantages associated with the e-mail service.
The MMS is a messaging service for transmitting/receiving text, music, images, moving pictures, link information, and the like, either individually or in combination. A user can transmit a wireless postcard, pictures, moving pictures, a video card map, a business card, or the like through the MMS.
In addition, the electronic device provides an interactive messaging (instant messaging) function to allow users to transmit and receive messages through a chat window.
An electronic device according to the related art stores and manages transmitted and received messages in a classified manner. However, the interactive messaging function stores the transmitted and received messages in chronological order such that the messages are stored in a dialog form.
According to the related art, the electronic device displays the interactive message in a speech balloon including the content of the message according to the corresponding message input time.
FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an interactive message screen provided by an electronic device according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, the electronic device provides an interactive messaging function by displaying a screen having a chat window and an input window.
The chat window is a region in which the contents of transmitted and received messages are displayed. The locations of displayed messages are determined according to the transmission and reception times of the messages. In addition, the input window is a region to which messages to be transmitted to a counterpart user are input. The messages input to the input window are displayed in a chat window while being transmitted to the counterpart user.
Generally, the user of the electronic device transmits a response message in response to a message received from a counterpart user. FIG. 1A illustrates a situation in which the user of the electronic device inputs a message 103 to the input window in order to respond to a message 101 received from the counterpart user.
In this case, when the user presses a transmission button, the electronic device updates the chat window while transmitting the message input to the input window to the counterpart user.
However, according to the related art, when another message 105 is received from the counterpart user before the user presses a transmission button, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the message 103 input to the input window is displayed as message 107 and located after a newly received message as illustrated in FIG. 1C.
In this case, it may be difficult for the counterpart user to determine which message corresponds to the message input by the user. Similarly, the user of the electronic device may not notice (and thus respond to) message 105 which is displayed between the received message 101 to which the input message 103 responds.
As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, the counterpart user cannot determine whether the user responds to a message “Can we meet this Saturday?” or a message “If not, how about next Saturday?”
Generally, when the above situation occurs, the user or the counterpart user needs to transmit a message clarifying such a potential misunderstanding.
In addition, because the messages displayed in the chat window cannot be corrected, the user needs to correct erroneous content and transmit a corrected message.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for modifying the location and content of a pre-transmitted message in order to resolve the above-described problem.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.